Method of making yarn mop body



April 7, 1964 P. K. ocoNNoR ETAL 3,128,127

METHOD 0F MAKING YARN MOP BODY Filed sept. 1o, 1962 i l i United States Patent O 3,l28,l217 METHD F MAKING YARN M01 BQDY Philip K. OConnor, Riverside, and Edward D. Zelinski,

Worth, Ill., assignors to The Drackett Company, a corporation 'ot @hic Filed Sept. l0, 1%2, Ser. No. 222,454 f6 jClaims. .(Cl. Silit-2l) This invention relates to a method of making a yarn mop body, and is particularly concerned with an improved method of constructing a yarn mop body having a uniform distribution of yarn throughout the working face of the mop.

Although the method of the present invention may be used in making yarn mop bodies of many diiferentstyles, it is of particular advantage in connection with the manufacture of large size mops, such as industrial and rental mops used by factories, stores and oiiice buildings. In mops of this type uniform distribution of yarn makes more eiiicient use of the mop possible by preventing unequal wear on its surface and also by making it easier to wash the mop body.

Industrial mops have heretofore been made of three pieces that had to be stitched together to form the mop body. In accordance with the present invention yarn is attached to a pre-selected area of a backing sheet which is then folded, stitched together to provide an inverted pocket, and then reversed to expose the working face of the mop. The method of making an inverted pocket and then inverting it provides savings in labor and material over the methods previously used in the manufacture of mops, and provides the most efficient utilization of the highly advantageous tufting stitch.

The method of making the mop will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing showing portions of a mop during various stages of manufacture, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a mop made by the method of this invention, showing the handle secured to a mop headenclosed within the mop body;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the backing material with the yarn stitched thereto;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 3 3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the inverted pocket from which the mop body is to lbe produced, with part of the backing material broken away;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the inverted pocket;

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 showing the mop body after it has been turned inside out to invert the pocket and position the yarn on the outside of the mop body; and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view, taken along the line 7--7 of FIGURE 1.

Referring to FIGURES 2 and 3 of the drawing, a continuous band 11 of backing material has its longitudinal edges 12, 13 folded against the material and stitched thereto, as indicated at 14, 15 to form a band of considerable length and a width approximately twice the Width of the completed mop body.

The band is then moved continuously, by any suitable means (not shown), through a yarn-attaching station. A plurality of yarn segments 16 of uniform length are attached to the longitudinal center portion of the band as the band is moved through the yarn attaching station. The yarn segments are attached in any suitable manner, preferably by tufting stitches, with all the yarn segments extending from a single face of the band. The tufting stitches are preferred because they provide a uniform distribution of the yarn over the surface of the backing material.

The points of attachment of the yarn segments are arranged in rows extending substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the band through the yarn attaching station, and preferably occupy the portion of the band representing approximately the inner two quarters of the width of the band. The longitudinal edge portions of the band I7, 18, measured to one quarter of the width of the band from each longitudinal edge thereof, ordinarily do not have any yarn segments attached thereto, although a single row of tufted yarns in these portions may help to ll out the sides of the mop body when it is completed.

The yarn-carrying band 11 is then cut into separate rectangular backing members I9 each of which has a length approximately equal to that of the completed mop body. The outer longitudinal yarn-free edge portions of backing member 19 are thereafter folded over upon the exposed yarn segments and are stitched transversely, as indicated at Ztl, to form a pocket or pouch enclosing the yarn segments and having a centrally disposed longitudinally extending opening.

The pouch is then turned inside out to invert the pocket and to expose yarn segments I6 on the bottom face of backing member I9. The inversion of the first mentioned pocket forms a pocket on the top of the mop body large enough to receive a supporting mop head 2l to which mop handle 22 is secured. The mop body is preferably provided with snap fasteners 23 to keep the pocket closed and hold the mop handle securely in place. The handle may be readily removed from the pocket to facilitate washing the mop body.

Although we have described the improved method of making a mop in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details of the method may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, we do not desire to be restricted to the exact steps or series of steps described.

We claim:

l. A method of manufacturing a yarn mop body having on the top thereof a pocket for receiving a supporting mop head that is affixed to a mop handle which cornprises; (l) attaching a plurality of yarn segments to a backing member to extend from a single face thereof, said backing member having a length approximately equal to that of the completed mop body and a width approximately twice that of the completed mop body, with the points of attachment of said segments extending substantially from one end of said backing member to the other and occupying approximately that portion of the backing member representing the inner two quarters of said member measured from one side to the other; (2) folding the two outer quarter portions of said backing member over upon the exposed yarn segments carried by the backing member; (3) securing the ends of said folded outer quarters of the backing member to the respective ends of said yarn-carrying backing portion against which they are folded, to form a pouch having an opening running down its center line and having said yarn segments enclosed therewithin; and (4) turning said pouch inside out to expose the yarn segments on the resulting bottom face of said backing member, and to form a pocket on the top of said backing member for receiving said supporting mop head.

2. A method of manufacturing a yarn mop body having on the top thereof a pocket for receiving a supporting mop head that is affixed to a mop handle which comprises: (1) attaching a plurality of yarn segments to a backing member to extend from a single face thereof,

said backing member having a length approximately equal to that of the completed mop body and a width approximately twice that of the completed mop body, with the points of attachment of said segments extending substantially from one end of said backing member to the other and occupying approximately that portion of the backing member representing the inner two quarters of said member measured from one side to the other; (2) folding the two yarn-free outer quarter portions of said backing member over upon the exposed yarn segments carried by the backing member with one of the edges of said quarter portions overlapping the other; (3) securing the ends of said folded outer quarters of the backing member to the respective ends of said yarncarrying backing portion against which they are folded, to form a pouch having an opening running down its center line and having said yarn segments enclosed therewithin; (4) turning said pouch inside out to expose the yarn segments on the resulting bottom face of said backing member, and to form a pocket on the top of said backing member for receiving said supporting mop head, the opening in said pocket being defined by said overlapping edges; and (5 attaching complementary fastening means at matching positions along the overlapping edge portions for closing the pocket after the supporting mop head is inserted therein.

3. A continuous method of manufacturing a yarn mop body having on the top thereof a pocket for receiving a supporting mop head that is affixed to a mop handle which comprises: (l) moving a continuous band through a yarn-attaching station, said band having a width approximately twice that of the completed mop body; (2) attaching a plurality of yarn segments to the band to extend from a single face thereof, the points of attachment of said yarn segments occupying approximately that portion of the band representing the inner two quarters thereof measured from one side to the other; (3) cutting said yarn-carrying band into separate backing members each of which has a length approximately equal to that of the completed mop body; (4) folding the two yarnfrce outer quarter portions of each of said backing members over upon the exposed yarn segments carried by the central portion thereof; (5) securing the ends of said folded outer quarters of the backing member to the respective ends of said yarn-carrying backing portion against which they are folded, to form a pouch having an opening running down its center line and having said yarn segments enclosed therewithin; and (6) turning said pouch inside out to expose the yarn segments on the resulting bottom face of said backing member, and to form a pocket on the top of said backing member for receiving said supporting mop head.

4. A continuous method of manufacturing a yarn mop body having on the top thereof a pocket for receiving a supporting mop head that is aiiixed to a mop handle which comprises: (l) moving a continuous band through a yarn-attaching station, said band having a width approximately twice that of the completed mop body; (2) attaching a plurality of yarn segments to the band to extend from a single face thereof, the points of attachment of said yarn segments occupying approximately that portion of the band representing the inner two quarters thereof measured from one side to the other; (3) cutting said yarn-carrying band into separate backing members each of which has a length approximately equal to that of the completed mop body; (4) folding the two yarn-free outer quarter portions of each of said backing members over upon the exposed yarn segments carried by the central portion thereof, with the edge of one of said quarter portions overlapping the other; (5) securing the ends of said folded outer quarters of the backing member to the respective ends of said yarn-carrying backing portion against which they are folded, to form a pouch having an opening running down its center line and having said yarn segments enclosed therewithin; (6) turning said pouch inside out to expose the yarn segments on the resulting bottom face of said backing member, and to form a pocket on the top of said backing member for receiving said supporting mop head, the opening in said pocket being defined by said overlapping edges; and (7) attaching complementary fastening means at matching positions along the overlapping edge portions for closing the pocket after the supporting mop head is inserted therein.

5. A continuous method of manufacturing a yarn mop body having on the top thereof a pocket for receiving a supporting mop head that is affixed to a mop handle which comprises: (l) moving a continuous band through a yarn-attaching station, said band having a uniform width approximately twice that of the completed mop body; (2) attaching a plurality of yarn segments to the band to extend from a single face thereof, with the points of attachment of said yarn segments arranged in rows extending substantially parallel to the direction of movement of said continuous band and occupying approximately that portion of the band representing the inner two quarters thereof measured from one side to the other; (3) cutting said yarn-carrying band into separate rectangular backing members each of which has a length approximately equal to that of the completed mop body; (4) folding the two yarn-free outer quarter portions of each of said backing members over upon the exposed yarn segments carried by the central portion thereof; (5) securing the ends of said folded outer quarters of the backing member to the respective ends of said yarncarrying backing portion against which they are folded, to form a pouch having an opening running down its center line and having said yarn segments enclosed therewithin; and (6) turning said pouch inside out to expose the yarn segments on the resulting bottom face of said backing member, and to form a pocket on the top of said backing member for receiving said supporting mop head.

6. A continuous method of manufacturing a yarn mop body having on the top thereof a pocket for receiving a supporting mop head that is affixed to a mop handle which comprises: (l) moving a continuous band through a yarn-attaching station, said band having a uniform width approximately twice that of the completed mop body; (2) by means of tufting stitches, attaching a plurality of yarn segments to the band to extend from a single face thereof, with the points of attachment of said yarn segments arranged in rows extending substantially parallel to the direction of movement of said continuous band and occupying approximately that portion of the band representing the inner two quarters thereof measured from one side to the other; (3) cutting said yarn-carrying band into separate rectangular backing members each of which has a length approximately equal to that of the completed mop body; (4) folding the two yarn-free outer quarter portions of each of said backing members over upon the exposed yarn segments carried by the central portion thereof; (5) securing the ends of said folded outer quarters of the backing member to the respective ends of said yarn-carrying backing portion against which they are folded, to form a pouch having an opening running down its center line and having said yarn segments enclosed therewithin; and (6) turning said pouch inside out to expose the yarn segments on the resulting bottom face of said backing member, and to form a pocket on the top of said backing member for receiving said supporting mop head,

No references cited. 

1. A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A YARN MOP BODY HAVING ON THE TOP THEREOF A POCKET FOR RECEIVING A SUPPORTING MOP HEAD THAT IS AFFIXED TO A MOP HANDLE WHICH COMPRISES; (1) ATTACHING A PLURALITY OF YARN SEGMENTS TO A BACKING MEMBER TO EXTEND FROM A SINGLE FACE THEREOF, SAID BACKING MEMBER HAVING A LENGTH APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THAT OF THE COMPLETED MOP BODY AND A WIDTH APPROXIMATELY TWICE THAT OF THE COMPLETED MOP BODY, WITH THE POINTS OF ATTACHMENT OF SAID SEGMENTS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY FROM ONE END OF SAID BACKING MEMBER TO THE OTHER AND OCCUPYING APPROXIMATELY THAT PORTION OF THE BACKING MEMBER REPRESENTING THE INNER TWO QUARTERS OF SAID MEMBER MEASURED FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER; (2) FOLDING THE TWO OUTER QUARTER PORTIONS OF SAID BACKING MEMBER OVER UPON THE EXPOSED YARN SEGMENTS CARRIED BY THE BACKING MEMBER; (3) SECURING THE ENDS OF SAID FOLDED OUTER QUARTERS OF THE BACKING MEMBER TO THE RESPECTIVE ENDS OF SAID YARN-CARRYING BACKING PORTION AGAINST WHICH THEY ARE FOLDED, TO FORM A POUCH HAVING AN OPENING RUNNING DOWN ITS CENTER LINE AND HAVING SAID YARN SEGMENTS ENCLOSED THEREWITHIN; AND (4) TURNING SAID POUCH INSIDE OUT TO EXPOSE THE YARN SEGMENTS ON THE RESULTING BOTTOM FACE OF SAID BACKING MEMBER, AND TO FORM A POCKET ON THE TOP OF SAID BACKING MEMBER FOR RECEIVING SAID SUPPORTING MOP HEAD. 